Arthritis occurs when you have inflammation and pain in your joints. You might have it in just one joint, or have arthritis that affects many different parts of your body. Here are some signs of arthritis so you know when it is time to call your doctor.
Pain and Stiffness
The first sign of having arthritis is often pain or discomfort in your joints. You might notice that your knee joint hurts every time you bend your knees, or that your wrist joint hurts chronically throughout the day. The pain may vary based on the joint affected and how severe your arthritis is. However, any type of pain in your joints is a good reason to see a doctor about the possibility of arthritis. Along with the pain, you might also experience stiffness of your joints around the same time. This can reduce your mobility and cause even simple movements to require more energy.
Swelling
Another very common sign of arthritis is having swelling of the joints. This often occurs when the pain and stiffness does, though it is possible to have swelling of your joints with no other symptoms. The swelling can sometimes be very minor, to pay close attention to your joints. If one of your shoulders looks larger than the other or slightly deformed, it is a sign that there is some swelling going on. Swelling can also limit your movement, which is a sign of arthritis.
Grinding Sensation
Do you hear or feel a weird grinding when you move your joints? If so, this could be due to arthritis. When you have arthritis, the joint cartilage slowly wears away, which is what is covering the bone. When that cartilage starts getting worn from the bone, the bone of the joint is now exposed. This can keep it from moving smoothly, which causes the grinding sensation. In most cases, you only feel the grinding of a joint, but you might also hear it in some situations.
Warmth and Redness
Have you noticed that your joints feel warm to the touch or show obvious redness? If so, this could be another sign that you have arthritis. Joint inflammation is what occurs when you have arthritis, which can lead to both swelling and warmth. Since these can also be signs of an infection of your joints, you should see a doctor (like those at Sound Family Health) whether you think it is from arthritis or not.
Share20 May 2015
Having a daughter comes with a number of challenges. One challenge that you will one day need to tackle is determining when to introduce your daughter to the gynecologist. Do you take your daughter to the same gynecologist that you see or take her somewhere else? Do you wait until she gets her first period or do you take her in to learn about the menstrual cycle from the doctor? There is a long list of questions you likely have about introducing your daughter to the world of gynecology. Having gone through this twice myself, I have learned quite a bit and have included a lot of helpful information in my site to help other parents get through this complicated time a little easier.
